


Spooked

by Fae_Ryn



Series: Yarn's Yarn [8]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Abigail's canon love of spook, Burns, Ghosts, Herbal magics, In theory yes all of the herbs mentioned have magical/protective qualities, In this house we don't beta just die like morons, Minor character death sort of? They're ghosts already but they pass on, Non-binary farmer, Rated for mild language and a two second fight scene, We're playing fast and loose with magic rules here, Yarn's still a moron don't worry, summonings, the undead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 22:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fae_Ryn/pseuds/Fae_Ryn
Summary: It might have been a bad idea to try to summon ghosts in the graveyard. You never know what might show up.
Series: Yarn's Yarn [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1446211
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	Spooked

**Author's Note:**

> Ayee look at that word count lmao

Abigail breathed in smoke and sea air and the end of summer, breathed out words laced with anticipation, older than the town itself. 

"Dude, this candle reeks." 

She scowled at Sam, then Sebastian as both pinched their noses in disgust. 

"You try to find fifty candles then," she huffed. "We're lucky I found that in my mom's holiday stuff at all." 

"What if the spirits are, like, allergic to-" Sebastian leaned forward with a grunt to grab the offending candle, "-Vanilla Chai Latte With Candied Orange? Wait, I like chai, what the hell is wrong with your candle?" 

Abigail put her hands to her hips. "Are we here to summon spirits or bitch about candles?" 

"Yeah, yeah." 

"Darn it, now I want chai," Sam sighed. 

"It's way too hot for tea man. And that's coming from me, the guy who never takes off his jacket." 

Abigail tuned her friends out as they began to bicker. The candles were lit, sending flickers of light over the stone graves and rapidly filling the air with heavily scented fumes. She double checked her binding circle, clapped her hands together, and grabbed the book she was testing out tonight. Sebastian and Sam's eyes tracked her as she offered the sacrifices that would "appease the gatekeeper and allow them to speak with the spirits". Seven gold coins, holy water from Yoba's shrine, all of the herbs from her mother's spice cabinet because she had no idea what a sweet-smelling herb was. She coughed her way through the final words and… 

"Five bucks," Sam said, holding his hand out to her. 

"Shhh! I'm gonna try again." 

Candles, words, coins, herbs, water and… 

Abigail threw herself to the ground next to her friends and groaned. Sebastian took her surrender as permission to start putting out the candles before they managed to set the graveyard on fire. 

"Five bucks," Sam repeated, snickering. 

"I really thought this one would work," Abigail moaned. "It's the last summoning book in the library!" 

"I did say they were a load of crap," Sebastian said. 

"Yeah, but- HOLY SHIT!" 

Abigail's shriek sent the boys scrambling away. Standing behind a grave, a few feet out of the range of their light, was a- 

"Oh for Yoba's sake!" Sebastian said. 

"Holy shit you gave me a heart attack," Sam wheezed. 

Yarn, sword drawn and raised at Abigail's cry, just stared back at them. They looked like they'd just come from their usual haunt in the mines. 

"Hello," they said, as though this were a perfectly normal thing to walk in on. 

"H-hey," Abigail said, heart still hammering in her throat. 

Yarn's sword slipped back into its sheath at their hip as they rounded the gravestone to take in Abigail's set up.

"You're summoning someone?" 

"Uh. Sort of? Not really anyone in particular." 

"Mostly she's just choking us with scented candles," Sam said, catching an elbow to the ribs for his trouble."Ow!" 

Yarn nodded. "I'm not surprised you didn't get anyone to come. Most readily available books on the topic are unreliable." 

"Wait, you know how to summon ghosts?" Sebastian asked. 

"Yes." 

"What about demons?" Abigail asked. 

"...Yes." 

"Could you summon the Loch Ness monster? " Sam joked. "I want to get rich off of pics of Nessie." 

"In theory. You would need to find the basilisk poison yourself." 

The three of them glanced at each other. Yarn seemed serious. 

"Let's not," Sebastian said quickly. 

Yarn nodded, still studying their circle.

"Can you show me how to do the real thing?" Abigail asked. 

"I can." 

"Hell yeah! Can we do it now?" 

Yarn looked to the remaining supplies. "Meet me on the beach in an hour. Bring seven of the candles." 

Sam howled in laughter. "Seven?! Oh my Yoba, Abigail!" 

"Shut up!" 

An hour later Abigail, Sam, and Sebastian walked onto the beach to find Yarn already mostly done. They had a circle at least twenty feet across drawn out in some kind of black powder, sharp-edged runes running the length of it, another, smaller circle just outside of it drawn in some kind of sandy grey and green mixture. The summoning runes surrounded a large granite bowl with seven little divots in the sand for the candles. 

Yarn glanced up, then gestured around them. "Do not step on or into the black circle. All three of you will stand inside of the protective circle outside of it. Do not step on the circle. Abigail, the candles." 

She handed them over as Sebastian and Sam hovered farther away.

"You work fast." 

"Experience." 

Yarn reached into the canvas bag beside them and took out several boxes and a glass jar full of dried rose petals. They took the petals and scattered them around the edges of the summoning circle. The granite bowl they filled with dried leaves, thick chunks of bark, and what looked like little yellow-brown rocks covered in sanding sugar. Seven gold coins joined the mix before Yarn lit it, filling the air with a sweet, dark, woody scent with hints of pine and lemon. 

"What did you put in with the coins?" Abigail asked. 

"Cedar and frankincense." 

"Oh. My book just said to use a sweet herb." 

"It may mean sweetgrass. It, cedar, and others are used for purification and protection, but cedar is easier to find around here." 

"And the roses?" 

"To mask the smell of death and keep the White Women away. They are dangerous to the living." 

"White Women? Don't they just take souls to Yoba?" 

"Their presence can kill, and they do not like it when the living contact the dead. The roses are an imperfect protection, but are the best I have available. We will likely be seeing the White Women tonight." 

"I should probably be glad I didn't actually summon anybody, huh?" Abigail asked quietly. 

"Yes." 

Abigail bit her lip, thoroughly guilted. If she'd succeeded, her biggest problem might not have been her dad finding out, and it was only just beginning to really sink in. 

"The books have false runes for a reason," Yarn said suddenly. "People attempt a summoning, fail, and do not try again. You would have had to be exceptionally unlucky to discover a real summoning circle." 

Abigail nodded. "Thank you." 

Yarn cleared their throat, uncomfortable. "Yes. Well. I will handle the summoning tonight. If your curiosity is unfulfilled, we can see if Master Rasmodius will teach you." 

"It's dangerous?" 

"Very." 

"I'll think about it." 

Yarn stood, dusting off their pants and rubbing some kind of liquid onto their neck and arms. "Rose oil," they explain. 

"If I go home smelling like flowers my mom's not going to believe we were in the bar all night," Sam said. 

"You do not need this," Yarn said, slipping the bottle into a pocket. "Stand in the circle on the right. Do not leave it, or I can make no guarantee of your safety." 

"Anybody else beginning to think this was a bad idea?" Sam whispered once they were safely inside the warding circle. 

"'Beginning'?" Sebastian muttered sarcastically.

A little ways away Yarn began speaking, confident where Abigail had been stumbling and slow. 

"Yarn won't let us get hurt," Abigail said. 

"And you know that how?" Sebastian asked. 

"Just a feeling?" 

"Oh Yoba," Sebastian groaned, "We're so fucked." 

"We could still run," Sam suggested. 

"Don't," Yarn said, lighting the candles one by one. "You wanted to summon a ghost. Watch." 

The three of them glanced at each other, even Abigail a little freaked out by Yarn's hearing. Still, they stayed.

Their surroundings began to blur like looking through a foggy window as the wind disappeared all at once. The area between them and Yarn was empty one moment and occupied by ghosts the next. The spirits were varying opaque shades of grey, their faces indistinct, bodies blurring at the edges as they moved. 

"Where is my sister?" one asked. They were dark grey, nearly black. 

"Why are we here?" They were pale grey. 

"Where're we?" another demanded, a shade somewhere between the other two. 

"I do not know your sister, you are in Stardew Valley, and I have summoned you because you yet wander the earth. It is time for you to move on." 

"Move on?" the pale grey spirit asked. "Wait, I died? I'm dead?!" 

The ghost looking for their sister floated as close to the ocean waves as the circle would allow. "Marissa!" 

"Yoba. I'm dead," the second ghost murmured.

"I knew we were goin' down! S'pose that means Dick's on the other side?" the third ghost asked. 

"All travel through the Midline. If he is not there now, he will be," Yarn said. "A'ight then." 

The third ghost disappeared just like that. The first hesitated only a moment before they followed. 

Sebastian sucked in a gasp and pointed. At the very edge of the blurred outside world two pure black figures had appeared. 

"Do not move," Yarn snapped. "They are dark because they have a strong attachment to the physical world. Their power is stronger." 

"Oh, you're the one that's been keeping me company in the mornings!" one of the dark ghosts said. 

The other was silent as it came right up to the edge of the warding circle protecting Abigail and her friends. The eyes it didn't have burned holes into the three of them. 

The other black ghost came closer. "My dear, I think you're scaring them." 

Its head turned to glare at the other, then snapped straight back to stare at Yarn. It's body shifted and it sped to Yarn, looming above them, and that's when Abigail realized Yarn hadn't drawn a circle to protect themself. She didn't think, just reached for them as she began to shout. The black ghost that had stayed close to them grabbed her hand and pushed it back inside the barrier. 

"Your friend can handle herself. Stay safe back there hun. I don't know that the ghost there is a friend." 

Abigail nodded, holding her hand close. It burnt cold where the ghost had touched it. 

Yarn and the other black ghost were just staring at each other. Neither moved, until- 

"You're not supposed to be here," the ghost said. 

"The same could be said for you," Yarn replied. 

The ghost kept for Yarn then reeled back, howling, at a flash of amber light. It hissed, circling Yarn. The temperature began to drop swiftly. "Oh my," the ghost nearest the other three said, then vanished. 

The other black ghost seemed unperturbed. It launched itself at Yarn, latching on even as the light seemed to burn it again. The two of them fell to the sand inside the summoning circle, wrestling. Yarn threw it off and shot to their feet.

At the same moment two pure white figures appeared. Both women, dressed in long white gowns that trailed on the sand behind them. Unlike the ghosts, their features were clear. The three humans felt dread sink like a rock in their gut, hearts working double-time at feeling death so close. 

One of the White Women swept over to the black ghost. The black ghost hissed, backing away. The woman reached out, and the two of them disappeared. 

Another took the hands of the dark grey ghost still crying out for her sister, and the ghost's form dissolved into a mist that wrapped around the White Woman's form like a shawl. For a moment, it looked as though that would be it, but then she turned and advanced on Yarn. If any of the three humans watching had bothered to look they would have seen Yarn's fingers trembling before they were shoved into their pockets. 

"My heart still beats," Yarn said. 

The White Woman stopped. Stared. 

"The lingering dead are gone. Your purpose here is done." 

"Come," the White Woman said, and her voice was one hundred voices, too loud even though she'd nearly whispered. Abigail became aware she, Sam, and Sebastian had each other's hands in a death grip. 

"Begone." 

The White Woman stepped closer, reaching out, and Yarn flung something from their pockets at her, something that made her screech in that awful voice. She disappeared, but the sound reverberated in the skulls of those left on the beach. 

Yarn, seemingly unfazed, just wiped their hands on their jeans and extinguished the candles one by one. As the last one went out the fog separating them from the rest of the world vanished, and the brine of the ocean wind replaced it. The first wave they could hear since beginning the summoning broke against the shore and caused the three in the warding circle to jump. 

"They are gone. Stay still until I close the circle." Yarn said. 

"What the hell just happened?" Sebastian whispered. 

"What did you throw at her?" Abigail asked. She was making some as soon as she got home. 

"Sandalwood smoked sea salt, rosemary, garlic, and basil, the same that I used for your protective circle," Yarn replied, stooping to gather the candles. 

"What? But that's just stuff I have around the house?" 

Yarn shrugged. "They are also powerful protective wards." 

"What did it do to her?" Sam asked. 

"As I said, it is for protection. She is fine." Yarn swept a foot through the sand and black powder, erasing the runes. "You may leave your circle now. Abigail, one of the ghosts touched you, correct?" 

She nodded. Yarn took a jar out of their bag and handed it over. The balm inside soothed the irritated skin where the ghost's hand had been. Yarn slapped some onto their own burns from wrestling the spirit with much less care. Where Abigail's skin looked like she had rug burn, Yarn's was red and shiny. 

No one talked as Yarn finished cleaning up the evidence. Done, they hefted their bag over a shoulder and gestured for the three to follow them back into the town. Sam and Sebastian left Abigail with Yarn at Abigail's insistence, disappearing into Sam's house. Yarn walked Abigail up to her door despite Abigail arguing that she was just fine, thank you very much. 

"You will stop attempting summonings on your own?" Yarn asked. "Yeah. I'm definitely not doing that again." "Good. I am not sorry for showing you, but I do apologise for any fear I caused." 

Abigail shook her head. "I'm fine." 

"Still, please allow me to ease your mind. Light this tonight," Yarn said, pulling a cream colored candle from their bag.

"Frankincense, rosemary, and cedar oil." 

"Frankincense and cedar for protection," Abigail recalled. "Rosemary for…?" 

"Soothing sleep. Good night," they said, turning to leave. 

"Wait!" Abigail grabbed Yarn's wrist. "Holy shit, you're freezing! Why aren't you wearing a jacket?" 

"It isn't necessary." 

"Not necessary? Dude, you're going to turn into a Yarncicle. Here," she said, shrugging off her jacket and holding it out. "I can't take your jacket." 

"I'm about to walk into my nice warm house, and you're about to spend the next hour walking in the cold to get back home. Just take it. You sort of saved our butts, it's the least I can do." 

Yarn accepted the jacket. It hung loosely on their thin frame, and while Abigail was no size two, it still seemed concerning. She didn't really know them well enough to say anything though. It occurred to her then that she might want to. 

"Thank you. Was there something else you needed?" 

"Huh? Oh! Right! Summoning isn't really my cup of tea, but do you think you could teach me more about herbal magic? Like the stuff you used on the White Lady?" 

"White Women. Yes, I can." 

"Awesome! My classes are all online, so whenever you're free works for me." 

"I will be busy this next week preparing for a class of my own. I will find you when I have a free day."

"Sweet! Well, I'm exhausted and you've got a long walk ahead of you, so I'm going to head inside." 

"Good night." 

"'Night," Abigail said, cradling her handle to her chest. 

**Author's Note:**

> Too late for a Halloween themed story? Probably
> 
> I've gotta write a chapter in-between the two but there's another Abigail chapter after this one. I've already finished it, so hopefully that's up soon
> 
> Also ao3 fucked up my formatting so here's hoping I caught everything


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